During a press conference in Toronto, Air Canada’s Chief Operating Officer, Mark Nasr, announced that although Thursday’s cancellations affect only a few dozen routes, starting Friday, the airline will suspend “about 500 flights,” impacting around 100,000 passengers.
“All flights will be suspended on Saturday morning. This approach helps minimize the strike’s impact, enabling the maximum number of passengers to complete their journeys,” stated Christophe Hennebelle, the company’s communications director.
Approximately 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, from the fifth-largest airline in North America, have indicated their readiness to strike on Saturday due to stalled negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
Negotiations, initiated eight months ago, focus on working conditions and salaries.
The workers claim that over the past 25 years, flight attendants’ base salaries have increased by only 10%, while inflation has risen significantly more. Moreover, flight attendants are not compensated for much of their ground duties, such as boarding and deplaning passengers.
